Technique Summer Selection – Album Sampler

Summertime, and the riddims are breezy. When the warm weather heralds the arrival of festivals, carnivals and poolside raving, it’s time to break out the new season’s collection of beats. And, celebrating fifteen years deep in the game, Technique Recordings are dropping a “Summer Selection” album to soundtrack the sunshine properly. This first taste of the album comes from label bosses Drumsound & Bassline Smith who, judging by their show itinerary, know a thing or two about hyping a festival crowd.

It’s time for the ravers to raise up their hands immediately as “Memories” floats in. A rising chord structure delivered by a subtle combination of keys and pads provides a foundation for an elegantly percussive synth melody. Add in a ghostly vocal sample and this tune casually casts a cloud of euphoria over the party. The deal is sealed when the drop provides the weight of bubbling bass and effortlessly punchy drums to the mix. This is a tune that’s as uplifting in the midnight haze as it is under blue skies.

Then there’s a different mood for “Primitive”. Dramatic stabs kick a hole in the atmosphere, punctuating a pattern of ever-rising arpeggiation overlaid with a suspense-laden dialogue sample. And that’s just the intro, before sirens signal a build into a high-voltage drop made of a taut razor-wire bassline and uppercut-force kicks and snares. Rolling high-end percussion and those blockbuster synth-strikes keep the energy at IMAX dimensions. When it’s that time for the carnival crowd to properly let loose and go just a touch grimy, this is one to draw for.

So, Drumsound & Bassline Smith have shown us two angles on the sunlit rave experience. And with a decade and a half of experience feeding into the “Summer Selection” album, this is clearly just a small taste of what’s to come. Better grab your shades and your sunscreen, because Technique Recordings are about to light up the summer.